Conventional spocketed measuring tapes include a cylindrical housing that confines a spired measuring tape within its cavity but permits the measuring tape to elongate through a radial opening connecting the cavity to the exterior, under tension, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,905,114 and 4,434,952 incorporated herein by reference. A trigger locking stop permits the user to fix a given length of the tape exterior of the housing for measuring purposes. A tear-drop shaped clip is attached to the belt or pocket of the user. Such clip has a fixed leg attached to the back side of the cylinder and a free leg that cantilevers from the fixed leg and a terminating tip bent under tension to rest against such back side for attachment purposes.
Experience has shown many circumstances in which such measuring tape is difficult to stay attach to the clothing of the user via such tear-drop shaped clip, say where the belt or pocket of the user is tight fitting or the user must bend many times at his waist during tasking operations. In this regard, the art is replete with auxiliary holders or aprons for retaining the measuring rule relative to the user's clothing. However, such auxiliary holders are relatively expensive to manufacture, especially if they include a separate belt; are awkward to use since they do not correctly position the measuring tape relative to the user's belt for easy insertion and retrieval; or do not easily attach or release the tape relative to the holder irrespective of the user's body position. An experienced carpenter usually has a set position for stowage of his measuring tape. If attached to his front pocket of his pants, the measuring tape extends down from the top flap a distance that places the tape adjacent to his hand when the latter is in a relaxed position at his side. If attached to his belt, it desirable that the measuring tape be similarly positioned.
In my prior application cited above, there is disclosed an auxiliary holder for releasably stowage of a spocketed, tensionable measuring tape, comprising a back panel formed of leather or like material as well as a front panel located relative to the back panel between its side edges adjacent to its associated bottom edge to form a tight-fitting pocket therebetween. Attachment of the front panel to the back panel is by means of four rivets placed adjacent to the corners of the front panel. The back panel also includes a rectangular notch or opening, such notch being dimensioned to slidably accept the cantilevered leg of the tear drop shaped clip of the measuring tape for stowage therein. Attachment of the holder to the user's body is via clip means riveted to the back panel of the holder near its top edge. One embodiment of the invention uses the user's belt as the fastening post wherein attachment occurs by means of a single clip of tear-drop shaped cross section. Another embodiment of the invention uses the user's front pocket of his pants or coveralls wherein attachment occurs by means of two clips of tear-dropped cross section riveted to the back surface of the back panel in a vertical position above the pocket formed by the front and back panels of the holder.
However, I have now discovered that when my invention is used in the first mode described above, i.e. where the user's belt is used as the fastening post, such embodiment is easily modified in the following aspects:
(i) to accommodate a carpenter's pencil say of a flat, rectangular cross section simply, by changing the shape of the back panel to a L-shape and then extending the width of the front panel. Result: the back panel is positioned coextensively of the transverse leg of the front panel and easily forms a pair of side-by-by pockets between it and the back panel--one to accommodate the carpenter's pencil and the other to receive the cantilevered leg of the tear drop shaped clip of the measuring tape for stowage therein;
(ii) to allow the omission of the single tear-drop shaped clip to attach the back panel relate to the user's belt, by forming a pair of transversely extending slots in the back panel adjacent to the side edges, reducing the width of the front panel to be disposed between the slots before the rivets are attached. Result: the user's belt can be inserted through the slots in a serpentine manner in which the belt end is inserted through a rear slot from front to back, then behind the back panel where the latter is coextensive with the front panel and thence out of the front slot for attachment to the belt buckle in convention manner;
(iii) to allow the omission the front panel as a separate unit by forming a pair of transversely extending slots in the back panel adjacent to the side edges of the latter, and then inserting the user's belt through the slots in a serpentine manner in which the belt end is inserted through a rear slot from back to front, then in front of the back panel over the central region of the latter and thence into the forward slot from front to the back of the back panel and thence onto the belt buckle for attachment in convention manner.